LEDs Are Widely Regarded as The Star Lighting Technology of Tomorrow

While LEDs are widely regarded as the star lighting technology of tomorrow, OLED - another emerging new technology - is also playing an increasingly conspicuous role in next-generation lighting. This is chiefly because both LED and OLED are solid-state lighting technologies, and as such are likely to massively surpass the luminous efficacy (efficiency) performance of fluorescent lights in the relatively near future; moreover, they do not involve the use of mercury and are capable of meeting the requirments of next-generation lighting in terms of eliminating ultraviolet rays, improved color rendition and added light adjustability. Only a tiny number of OLED lighting products are currently available on a commercial basis, largely because the technology has not yet been developed to the point where it can compete with other common forms of lighting in terms of luminous efficacy or luminous flux performance. OLED lighting panels currently achieve luminous efficacy of 35-66 lm/W, levels which are far from ideal in comparison to mainstream lighting technologies; the goal for future development is to increase this figure to a level comparable to other energy-saving light bulb technologies, that is a luminous efficacy of 80 lm/W and a luminous flux approaching 1,000lm. OLED lighting is still very much a fledgling industry. In order to expedite its development, many major nations have launched OLED lighting development plans, examples of which include the United States' Department of Energy (DOE) R&D Plan and Roadmap, Europe's OLED 100.eu plan, and Japan's Next Generation SSL (solid-state lighting) Plan. Source: DIGITIMES